Dispensing closure



Aug. 7, 1962 United States Patent 3,048,309 DISPENSHNG CLOSURE LidoAlbiani, Cicero, Ill., assignor to Korris Products, Inc., a corporationof Illinois Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,518 6 Claims. (11222-517)This invention relates to a dispensing closure of the type adapted todispense discrete quantities of material from a storage receptacle.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improveddispensing closure having a simple and economical construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a dispensing closurehaving new and improved closure member means formed continuously with awall member. I

Still another object is to provide such a dispensing closure having newand improved guide element means for retaining the closure memberreleasably alternatively in the opened and closed positions andfunctioning to guide the material to be dispensed during the dispensingoperation.

Yet another object is to provide such a dispensing closure having newand improved means for limiting the movement of the closure member atthe extremes of its desired movement.

Still another object is to provide such a dispensing closure having newand improved means for facilitating the manipulation of the closuremember from the closed position.

Yet another object is to provide such a dispensing closure having newand improved means for releasably securing the closure member in theclosed position.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a dispensing closure embodying theinvention, mounted on a portion of a container;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view thereof with the closure means in an openedposition;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view thereof with the closure means in an openedposition and arranged for a modified manner of dispensing therewith;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken approximately along the line 44 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 but with the closure means inthe opened position, the position of the means during formation thereofbeing shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the dispensing closure with theclosure means in the opened position; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary isometric view of the dispensing closure withthe closure means in the opened position, as viewed from the undersidethereof.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in thedrawing, a dispensing closure generally designated 10 is removablysecured to a suitable container 11 adapted to hold material to bedispensed. The material to be dispensed may be particulate or fluid,dispensing closure 10 being arranged to retain the material withincontainer 11 when desired and, alternatively, provide an improveddispensing thereof from the container when desired.

More specifically, closure 10 comprises a wall. member 12 having adepending flange 13 provided with suitable lugs 14 for engagingco-operating means on the container (not shown) to secure, the wallmember across an open end 15 of the container 11.

The wall member 12 is provided, in its mid-portion, with an opening 16herein of rectangular cross section.

7 3,048,309 Patented Aug. 7, 1962 A tubular closure means 17 isintegrally associated with wall member 12 to define a pouring spout. Theclosure means comprises a closure member 18 formed continuously withwall member 12 at a hinge portion 19. The closure member is plate-likeand generally complementary to opening 16. The end portion 20 of theclosure member opposite hinge portion 19 is spaced from hinge portion 19a distance greater than the spacing of the opposite edge 21 of opening16 from hinge portion 19, whereby end portion 20 overlie edge 21 whenthe closure member is in the closed position as seen in FIG. 4. Thus,closing movement of the closure is automatically limited to the desiredclosed position. To facilitate manipulation of the closure member tomove it from the closed position of FIG. 4 to the open position of FIG.5, a fingernail-receiving recess 22 is provided in the upper surface ofwall member 12 adjacent edge portion 21 and extending to under end 20 ofthe closure member when the closure member is in the closed position.

Closure means 17 further includes a pair of guide elements 23 extendingfrom closure member 18 to a circular outer edge 23a concentric of hingeportion 19 and having a radius substantially equal to the spacing ofedge 21 of the opening 16 from hinge portion 19. More specifically, asbest seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, guide elements 23 comprise wall segments.The guide elements preferably are spaced sufficiently apart to engagefrictionally the lateral edges 24 of the opening 16. Thus, the guideelements serve to retain the closure means releasably alternatively inthe closed position of FIG. 4 and the open position of FIG. 5. Toprovide an additional retention of the closure means in the closedposition of FIG. 4, the guide elements are provided with a notch 25adjacent end por tion 20 of the closure member for releasably receivingthe edge 21 of the wall member 12 when the closure member is in theclosed position. As best seen in FIG. 5, end portion 20 of the closuremember may be undercut at 26 whereby the closure member is disposed in-a more nearly flush arrangement relative to the wall member 12 when inthe closed position. 7

Closure means 17 further includes a wall element 27 extending betweenthe guide elements 23 and spaced from the closure member '18 to definewith the guide elements and closure member 18 an opening 28. Wall member27 is segmentally cylindrical concentrically, of hinge portion '19 andhas an outer diameter substantially equal to the spacing of edge 21 fromhinge portion 19', whereby the wall element 27 is juxtaposed to edge 21of wall mem ber 12 when the closure means is in the open position ofFIG. 5. Thus, material passed through opening 16 is constrained to flowthrough the tubular closure means 17 outwardly through opening 28thereof, whereby the-closure means 17 functions as a control spout. Thewall element 27 isenlarged at its inner end 29 to define a stop elementextending substantially between the guide elements 23 to abut the innersurface 30 of wall member 12 at edge 21. Thus, the outward pivotalmovement of clossure means 17 is limited to the fully opened position ofFIG. 5 by stop element 29. Each of the guide elements 2-3 andwallelement 27 slides against the adjacent edge of the opening 16 whenthe closure means is pivoted; thus, the outer surfaces of the guide andwall elements are wiped clean during such movement. This is a highlydesirable feature where the material being dispensed is a liquid such assyrup.

In the illustrated embodiment, dispensing closure 10 comprises anintegral plastic molding wherein the closure member 18 is moldedcontinuously at hinge portion 19 with Wall member 12. Similarly, guideelements 23 are molded integrally with closure member 18 and the wallelement 27 is integral with the guide elements. The position in whichthe closure means 17 is arranged during the molding operation is shownin dotted lines in FIG. 5. Upon completion of the formation of thedispensing closure, the closure means 17 is urged inwardly throughopening 16 until stop element 29 is received inwardly of the Wall member12. Thus, the closure means 17 remains under a slight bias at all timestending to urge the closure means to the open position of FIG. 5.However, the frictional engagement of the guide elements with the edges24 of the wall member opening 16 is preferably sufficient to overcomethis bias and retain the closure means in a desired position, and thereception of edge 21 in notch 25 substantially positively retains theclosure means releasably in the closed position against this bias.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the dispensing of the material fromcontainer 11 may be eflected alternatively with closure member 18lowermost, as in FIG. 2, or uppermost, as in FIG. 3. It has been foundthat the arrangement of FIG. 3 is more satisfactory for the dispensingof liquids from container 11 as the wall element 27 may be wiped offagainst the upper edge (not shown) of the receptacle into which thematerial is being dispensed. Upon completion of the dispensingoperation, the closure means is merely pivotally urged to the closedposition of FIGS. 1 and 4. Reopening of the closure means is effectedsimply by the insertion of the users fingernail under the end portion 20of the closure member, as discussed above, permitting the readymanipulation of the closure means about hinge portion 19 to the openposition of FIG. 5.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it isto be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes,therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing closure comprising: a wall member having an openingtherethrough; a generally tubular closure member for selectively closingsaid opening, said closure member including a flat outer wall having anattaching end and a distal end, a pair of spaced side walls extendingfrom opposite sides of said outer wall, each side wall defining a 90circular sector having an outer arcuate edge concentric of the attachingend of the closure wall, a segmentally cylindrical inner wall extendingbetween said arcuate edges of the side walls and having a first endspaced from the distal end of the closure wall to define therebetween arestricted pouring opening and an opposite end disposed approximately 90from said distal end of the closure wall to define between said oppositeend and the attaching end of said outer wall a large admittance openingfor delivery of material to be dispensed to within the tubular closure;and a hinge connecting said attaching portion of the outer wall to thewall member at one end of the wall member opening and yieldinglypositioning the tubular closure member with the closure ure memberincluding a fiat outer wall having an attaching end and a distal end, apair of spaced side walls extending from opposite sides of said outerwall, each side wall defining an outer edge spaced from the closurewall, an inner wall extending between said edges of the side walls andhaving a first end spaced adjacent the distal end of the closure wall todefine therebetween a pouring opening and an opposite end to define withthe attaching end of said outer wall an admittance opening for deliveryof material to be dispensed to within the tubular closure; and a hingeconnecting said attaching portion of the outer wall to the wall memberat one end of the wall member opening and yieldingly positioning thetubular closure member with the closure wall extending outwardly fromthe wall member to space the pouring opening outwardly from the wallmember opening with its transverse extent generally parallel thereto,and dispose the admittance opening generally coincident with the wallmember opening. a 3. The dispensing closure of claim 2 wherein the hingcomprises an integral connection of the wall member and outer wall ofthe tubular closure member. 4. The dispensing closure of claim 2 whereinsaid side walls are provided with a notch adjacent said outer wallmember overlies the recess when the closure member is arranged with theouter wall extending across the wall member opening to permit'insertionof a portion of the users finger into the recess and under said distalend.

6. A dispensing closure comprising: a wall member having an openingtherethrough; and a generally tubular closure member having an inlet atan inner end and an outlet at the opposite outer end and formedcontinuously with said wall member at a hinge portion adjacent the wallextending outwardly for the wall member to space the pouring openingoutwardly from the wall member opening with its transverse extentgenerally parallel thereto, and dispose the admittance opening generallycoincident with the wall member opening.

2. A dispensing closure comprising: a wall member having an openingtherethrough; a generally tubular closure member for selectively closingsaid opening, said closinlet, said hinge portion biasing the closuremember to an open position wherein the closure member extends outwardlyfrom the wall member to space the outlet substantially from the wallmember and permit passage of a material to be dispensed continuouslythrough said inlet and outlet, said closure member being movable againstthe biasing of said hinge portion to a closed position wherein theclosure member extends fully across the opening with both the inlet andthe outlet inwardly of the wall member to preclude passage of thematerial through said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,411,000 Condon Mar. 28, 1922 1,539,985 Allen June 2, 1925 1,592,491Kaelin July 13, 1926 1,752,527 Howard Apr. 1, 1930 2,442,126 HalsteadMay 25, 1948 2,832,516 Von Culin Apr. 29, 1958 2,898,018 Borah Aug. 4,1959 2,929,416 Farber Mar. 22, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,086,229 FranceAug. 4, 1954

